Interview with author Lisa Yee

I first discovered Lisa Yee after reading Millicent Min, Girl Genius. I loved Millicent’s geeky but vulnerable character, and was also delighted by the two sequels: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, So Totally Emily Ebers.

Lisa’s bubbly enthusiasm and sense of humour is evident throughout each of these books, and the characters so well-crafted that they strike a real emotional chord in readers. Most recently, Lisa wrote an American Girl book, Good Luck Ivy.

So how did you get involved with American Girl?

I got a call from an American Girl editor Jennifer Hirsch. She explained that Megan McDonald (author of the JUDY MOODY series) was writing a historical fiction series about a a girl named Julie. Julie has a best friend named Ivy, and Jennifer asked if I would consider writing Ivy’s story.

Before I said yes, I read a lot of American Girl’s historical novels and was really impressed by the quality of the books. And when I found out that the Julie/Ivy stores were based in the 1970s, I had to laugh. That’s when I grew up!

What was it like working with them?

American Girl was wonderful to work with. Everyone there is so nice and committed to making the best books possible. In addition to Jennifer, I worked with their historian. Whenever I had any questions, all I had to do was e-mail him and I’d get my answers–whether I was asking what the number one television shows were or how what a house cost in the 1970s. I’d even ask for things like TIGER BEAT and SEVENTEEN magazines featuring David Cassidy and the next thing I knew, they were in my mailbox!

Everything was so thorough. I was even sent to San Francisco (where the story takes place) to research and soak up the atmosphere.

However, what really surprised me was how much freedom I had with the storyline. I was given free reign over what I wanted to write about, the character development, etc.

How did writing this book compare with writing your other books?

In terms of the actual writing, GOOD LUCK, IVY is a chapter book and was written in third person. All my past novels have been for ages nine and up, and have been first person. So it was a switch for me, but I really enjoyed it.

I mined a lot from my own childhood in terms of circumstances. Like I was, Ivy Ling is a Chinese American girl growing up in the 1970s. She also comes from a huge family with TONS of relatives. In fact, in the Looking Back section at the end of the book, you’ll find pictures of my mom’s family when she was a girl, and photos of me from the 1970s.

Your blog is wonderful: funny and informative, with lots of fascinating visuals. Out of curiosity, how much time do you spend blogging and reading blogs?

Despite the fact that Hubby is convinced I blog 24/7, I blog twice a week. Each blog takes less than an hour to write. However, highlighting the links can take forever. As for reading blogs . . . er, I do spend a lot of time doing that. But it’s work-related, right?

From what I see in your blog, you do a fantastic job of promoting your books. How do you balance the amount of time you spend on promotion/marketing with the time you spend writing?

I’ve been on the road quite a bit as as you can see. But I think this year was unique because I had two books come out and needed to promote them. I never realized how much not-writing a writer does.

When I’m out of town, I always take work with me. I’ve discovered that I can revise/edit in hotel rooms and airports, but I can’t write new stuff. Also, what happens is that lots of conferences and appearances are booked as much as a year in advance. So when you sign on, you never know where you’ll be in the writing process when the event takes place. That can make things very tricky.

What’s your typical novel-writing process?

Outline, outline, outline, I always outline. My first outline ever (for MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS) was 28-pages, single spaced and included bits of everything, even dialogue. Since then I’ve learned to streamline. A typical outline now might be three to five pages with a sentence or two for each chapter or block of action.

Revisions are my very favorite thing to do. That can take anywhere from a month to three months. Much of it depends on my kids’ school schedule.

What’s your typical writing day?

A typical day begins late morning. I answer e-mail, surf the net, etc. Then I have brunch so I can have a huge chunk of time to e-mail, surf the net, etc. I usually give myself weekly goals. Like, say, 25 pages a week for a new book. That way if I only write three pages one day, I know I can make it up later. After dinner and my kids are in bed, I go back to the computer. If I am on a deadline it’s typical for me to stay up to 3 a.m. writing.

Although Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and So Totally Emily Ebers cover the same time period as Millicent Min, Girl Genius, all three stories stand on their own; Stanford and Emily are just as strong as the first book. Did you already have your Stanford and Emily books in mind by the time you finished writing Millicent Min?

I wrote Millicent’s novel as a stand-alone. After that I thought I was going to write an historical fiction, but midway through writing the proposal decided to write a contemporary book about a boy. I loved Stanford’s character so much that I wanted to spend more time with him–so he became the lead character in his own novel.

Emily’s book wasn’t planned either. However, lots of kids asked about her, and it made sense that something from her POV would complete the journey these three kids took together.

I read that you worked with two editors (Cheryl Klein and Arthur Levine) for Stanford Wong. How did that work?

(Are Cheryl and Arthur reading this?) Actually, it’s quite wonderful. Each brings their own unique view point and style to the editing process. In most cases they are in agreement, but when they aren’t they just fight it out. Kidding! Sometimes I’ll get notes saying, “Editorial Disagreement Here!” and both will list their comments.

I feel really lucky to be working with two of the top editors in the business.

What are your current/upcoming projects?

I have a YA coming out in 2008. DEFINITELY MAYBE is about a girl who runs away from Florida to Hollywood to find the father who doesn’t even know she exists. The original title was CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUT and it was a MG. But as I started writing the book, it morphed into YA-Land, much to the surprise of my agent, editors and myself!

I sold the book on a proposal and no one saw it until I was done writing. Luckily, after the initial shock of the book being for older readers, everyone has been very enthusiastic about it.

In 2009 and 2010 I have my JUST BOBBY books. Those are chapter books about a kid named Howard . . . not! They’re about Bobby Carver Wentworth-Chan, a very sincere, very accident-prone fouth grader.

For more info about Lisa Yee, check LisaYee.com or visit her blog.